SPORT
St Patrick's Catholic Primary School, Walcha
Armidale Catholic Schools Football/Netball Gala Day Wrap Up
Last Friday, our students travelled to Inverell to represent St Patrick’s in both netball and soccer at the annual Armidale Catholic Schools Gala Day. Competing against schools from across the northern part of our Diocese in very warm conditions.
In the Open Soccer Tournament, our Year 5/6 combined team put on a fantastic display across six challenging pool matches. They secured four victories—including impressive wins over Holy Trinity (Inverell), St Philomena’s (Moree), and St Joseph’s (Tenterfield)—alongside a draw and a narrow loss to eventual finalists St Mary’s (Armidale), finishing an impressive 6th overall.
Our Junior soccer teams were equally remarkable throughout their pool matches. The Barbarians dominated their pool play with decisive wins over Tenterfield, Mungindi, and Glen Innes, alongside draws against Armidale and Guyra, with their only setback being a close loss to eventual finalists Moree. Though they narrowly missed the semifinals on a countback, they secured a fantastic 5th place overall.
Meanwhile, the Legends remained undefeated in pool play with four wins and two draws, highlighted by a staggering 14–0 victory over Tenterfield. Qualifying for the semifinals against Moree, the Legends fought a thrilling match that went down to the wire, ultimately falling in a dramatic penalty shootout to the eventual tournament champions to finish 3rd overall.
On the netball courts, both of our Open division teams represented our school with distinction. The Opals swept through their pool matches undefeated to qualify for the semifinals, where they fought hard in a tightly contested match against St Joseph’s (Glen Innes). The Diamonds showed incredible grit in every single game, with many players willingly stepping up from the Junior section to the Open division so St Patrick’s could field two full teams.
A special thank you goes to the dedicated players who stepped up to support their teammates, as well as to our staff members who braved a very early morning start. Finally, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the wonderful parents who travelled to Inverell to cheer on our teams from the sidelines!
AFL Clinic
Yesterday, all of our classes at St Patrick's had a fantastic time participating in an engaging AFL Clinic on the school grounds. Led by visiting coaches, our students learned key Australian Rules football skills—from handpassing and kicking to teamwork on the field—through fun, high-energy drills and games. Thank you to the AFL North West Development Officers for putting on such a great clinic.
Sporting Dates for Term 4
*25th-30th October: Australian 12 Years and Under Girls National Hockey Championships at Newcastle.
*30th November: 4th December-School Aquatics Program
*4th December: ACS Summer Trials at Tamworth
St Patrick's Primary Sports Handbook
St Patrick's now has an official sports handbook, which has recently been updated following our school swimming carnival. Additionally, the handbook has now been revised to include the new records set by Josie, Lucy, Phoebe and Thibaud at our recent athletics carnival. This book is designed to give all members of our school community a clearer understanding of when our various sporting carnivals are conducted. It also outlines the processes and qualifying times required for students wishing to represent our school at Diocesan sporting events, alongside an explanation of the representative sporting pathways your child can undertake in their respective sports.